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0 pointsKennyBlanken4y ago0 comments

What's a joke is claiming that paid suggestion search results "have converted Firefox into an ad-ware / spyware [sic]"

I'm not a fan of them adding this and switching it on, but it's easily disabled...

> Click on the hamburger menu and then select Settings

> Click on Privacy and Security in the sidebar and scroll to Address Bar — Firefox Suggest

> Select or deselect the checkbox for contextual suggestions to turn the feature on or off

> Select or deselect the checkbox for “occasional sponsored suggestions”

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6 comments · 3 top-level

kreeben4y ago· 3 in thread

>> I'm not a fan of them adding this

Excuse me sir but you definitely sound like a fan.

The really real joke is claiming that proclaiming that Mozilla is a joke is some sort of a joke.

Out-of-the-box I would definitely classify Firefox as ad-ware/spy-ware.

smoldesu4y ago

Does that make Brave adware as well, since it ships with a suite of features fundamentally designed to serve you ads of their own creation?

kreeben4y ago

Isn't Brave's ads opt-in? I thought they were opt-in. Aren't they opt-in? So what are you on about?

1 more reply

soundnote4y ago

Of course they are. The company is an ad agency, that's how they make their money. They just try to do it in a less garbage way than the rest of the industry, but an ad is an ad, even if designed for privacy and opt-in.

dogleash4y ago

>but it's easily disabled...

No it's not. That's about as buried as it gets without hiding it in about:config.

"Easily disabled" would be a button right next to the ad that said "never show me this dogshit again."

webmobdev4y ago

Technically you are right, ofcourse. An adware is unwanted software designed to show you ads maliciously (no way to remove or turn it off). But let's look at some common features of adware / spyware:

1. Advertisements appear in places they shouldn’t be. (Yes in Firefox - ads in new tab and address bar).

2. Your web browser’s homepage has mysteriously changed without your permission. (Yes in Firefox - default custom home page)

3. New toolbars, extensions, or plugins suddenly populate your browser. (Yes in Firefox - bundles unwanted, uninstallable extensions)

4. Your computer starts automatically installing unwanted software applications. (Yes in Firefox - studies can install extensions without your knowledge).

5. Collect personal data without your knowledge (Yes in Firefox - ad partners and studies).

Again, technically you are right that there are options to disable some of these things, (most of which are all enabled by default that the majority of users won't be aware of) ... But when a software imitates and behaves like an adware / spyware, Mozilla would do best to listen to their users criticism than call us ignorant.

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